Cricket pitches make road trip for World Cup
TEN cricket pitches have completed their journey up the East Coast from Florida to New York state and are being installed in a new stadium built for next month’s T20 World Cup.
The ‘drop in pitches’ have been prepared in Florida since December and were recently transported by 20 trailer trucks up the I-95 highway to the venue in Long Island.
The surfaces, which will soon be used for games including the highly-anticipated clash between India and Pakistan, were developed by Australian Damian Hough, curator of the Adelaide Oval.
Winter conditions in New York meant that the grass needed to be grown in the warmer climate of Florida before being transported and installed.
Hough said the journey from the base in Boynton Beach, Florida, to Nassau County in New York state, took over 24 hours, with regular stops for checks and hydration of the grass.
‘From a turf perspective, we made sure that there was no weather or elements getting on them with regards to wind or rain. They’ve come through in flying colors,’ Hough said.
Chris Tetley, head of events for the International Cricket Council said the pitch production had been a huge logistical challenge for the companies involved.
‘It’s been an impressive piece of logistics that has gone into moving 10 pitches, on 20 trucks, plus backup trucks, with the route planning, the timing through, I can’t remember how many different states,’ Tetley said.
The temporary 34,000 capacity stadium at Eisenhower Park has already been built with stands and hospitality areas already in place and the outfield has been put in place.
Hough said the surface is likely to be a typical of the kind used for T20 matches, where fans expect to see big shots from the batsmen.
The first World Cup game at the venue will feature Sri Lanka v South Africa on 3 June but organizers are planning some test events before then.